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Airports hope to land state funding for major projects

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Airports hope to land state funding for major projects


Kyle Wanner, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, speaks July 1, 2024, at the groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of Hector International Airport in Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

BY: JEFF BEACH

FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) – Three North Dakota airports have plans for major upgrades and will be asking the state Legislature to approve a combined $120 million for the projects. 

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Fargo’s Hector International Airport had its official groundbreaking Monday for a terminal expansion and parking garage. The airports in Grand Forks and Dickinson also have what airport officials call “generational projects,” that might come along every 30 to 40 years. 

Fargo is seeking $60 million for its project and Grand Forks and Dickinson each are requesting $30 million. 

At Monday’s event in Fargo, Kyle Wanner, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, called airports “economic engines” for the state. 

“They sometimes need a major overhaul or an upgrade,” Wanner said. 

Kelly Braun, manager of the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, said there is not another viable source of funding for its plans to build a new terminal next to the existing runways. 

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He said the plans for a new terminal are in the design stage for the $48 million project. He said there is local and federal funding for the project. 

It is upgrading a secondary runway in preparation for that project.

Ryan Riesinger, executive director of the Grand Forks International Airport, said it plans to reconstruct its main runway – an approximately $75 million project. 

That means ripping up asphalt that is about 1 foot deep and the original concrete that is 1 foot deep. 

Riesinger said the concrete was poured on top of a clay soil base. The modern runway will be dug down about 4 feet and be better engineered to handle the weight of large planes as well as better drainage. 

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“So it’s much like reconstructing the interstate, only deeper, thicker,” Riesinger said. 

The Grand Forks airport is currently upgrading its secondary runway to keep the airport humming while the main runway is redone over several construction seasons. 

Wanner said while there are smaller airport projects all over the state, these three high-priced upgrades have been identified as needing extra state funding. 

“There’s just no other path forward,” Wanner said in an interview. 

North Dakota House Majority Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, said he has been briefed on the projects and is supportive, as long as the revenue is available when lawmakers convene in January. He said a proposed property tax reform measure on the November ballot could change the budget picture dramatically. 

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“I’m generally supportive of this proposal, because I see the need,” Lefor said. 

North Dakota’s commercial airports in 2023 had 1.1 million boardings, an 11% overall increase from calendar year 2022, according to the Aeronautics Commission. Fargo and Devils Lake recorded their best year on record.

North Dakota airports also had their busiest May on record, according to the Aeronautics Commission. Airline passenger boarding numbers reached 103,068 passengers for the month, breaking a May record set in 2014 during the oil boom.

Braun said the Dickinson airport was designed for about 9,000 passengers annually but last year had about 25,000, with projections of more than 30,000 in the next couple of years. 

He said officials hope to have the new terminal open in late 2027. 

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The $200 million Hector project that is underway is for a four-story parking structure with about 1,000 spaces and a skyway to the terminal. 

The terminal will add four more gates and there will be upgrades to the terminal interior. The project is expected to be completed in 2026. 

At Monday’s groundbreaking, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven touted recent airport upgrades in Minot and Williston and called Fargo’s airport “the flagship” for the state. 

“This is a quality of life issue,” Hoeven said of air travel. “So we’re going to have the best airport to go with the greatest people and the best state in the country.”



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North Dakota

Death Investigation: North Dakota Person Died After Consuming Recalled Microdosing Candies – KVRR Local News

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Death Investigation: North Dakota Person Died After Consuming Recalled Microdosing Candies – KVRR Local News


BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/NorthDakotaMonitor) — A person in North Dakota died after consuming recalled microdosing candies.

The death is under investigation by state agencies, the poison control center and FDA.

The FDA published a recall on June 28 of some Prophet Premium Blends Diamond Shruumz products.

They are marketed as containing a proprietary blend of mushrooms.

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As of July 1, 48 illnesses, including 27 hospitalizations, have been reported in 24 states.

North Dakota is the only state where a death is being investigated.

North Dakota officials are warning the public because the recalled products could still be available for sale online, in stores that sell hemp-derived products, or in smoke and vape shops, said Michelle Dethloff, director of the infectious diseases and epidemiology unit.

The products are not illegal but they are not licensed or regulated by the state.

State officials would not provide specifics about when or where in North Dakota the death occurred or the person’s age, citing privacy reasons. The person who died is an adult, Dethloff said. The exact cause of death remains under investigation.

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North Dakota Residents Speak Out: 15 Things To Outlaw Forever

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North Dakota Residents Speak Out: 15 Things To Outlaw Forever


There’s really not much I don’t like about North Dakota.

Yeah, the weather can be annoying at times.  Mostly the wind, but other than that I personally love the 4 changes of seasons even though sometimes we miss out on one or two of them  Some years we don’t get much of a spring or in other years fall is very short and we go right into winter.

Besides the weather what’s not to like right?  Well, there are some things according to our listeners that should be “outlawed” in the state of North Dakota.

Wouldn’t be nice if you could make one law in the state of North Dakota?

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I recently asked my listeners on our Facebook page, app, and on-air if they could outlaw one thing in North Dakota what would it be?  Some of the answers were of course comic genius.  Like, “STDs”, “Mothers in Laws”, “White Claw Drinkers”, “South Dakotans” and my favorite “Mondays”.  Yes, we should definitely go to a 4-day work week in this country.

Some more serious answers like “Texting and Driving”, “Vaping”, “Smoking”, and “The Enforcement of Littering Fines” were also given.

I had over 1,000 answers to my question to add up. 

Those are just some of the honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top 15 answers to my very scientific poll that encompassed over 1,000 answers.  I’m actually starting to get pretty good at math thanks to this job.

So, without further ado, here are “The Top 15 Things We Would Like to Outlaw in North Dakota.”  Hopefully, some of these will become illegal in the future.

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These Are The 15 Things North Dakotans Would Like To Outlaw

Beautiful North Dakota home found full of dead animals.

Gallery Credit: John Seil

LOOK: Baby names that are illegal around the world

Stacker scoured hundreds of baby name databases and news releases to curate a list of baby names that are illegal somewhere in the world, along with explanations for why they’re banned.

Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz





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Minnesota, North Dakota prep for busy roads this holiday weekend

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Minnesota, North Dakota prep for busy roads this holiday weekend


FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – According to AAA, nearly 71 million people are expected to travel this week. Chances are, many of you will be if you haven’t already.

It’s all hands on deck for law enforcement in Minnesota. They’re keeping an extra eye out for impaired and distracted drivers.

“We hope when we go out, we don’t find anybody. You know, making those poor choices because we want everybody to hear the conversations here than along the roadside. Really the 4th of July holiday should be about making memories and we don’t want to involve bad crashes or anything like that,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow with the Minnesota State Patrol.

State Patrol says over the last five years, there have been 25 traffic-related deaths on the 4th. That’s more compared to other holidays including the winter ones like Christmas and New Year’s.

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”Clear, sunny days, dry roads, it’s one of those things that again, just because the road conditions are in good conditions doesn’t mean you can get laxed on your behaviors when it comes to traffic safety.”

While different states, safety is also the main goal in North Dakota.

“We have a speeding grant that’s going on right now. So we’ll definitely be enforcing speeding but as always, we definitely do whatever we can to deter DUIs and we will be enforcing DUIs whenever we can,” Sgt. Matt Ysteboe with Fargo Police tells Valley News Live.

In North Dakota, a first-offense DUI is considered a Class B misdemeanor. It can lead to a $500 fine if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is below .16. The higher the BAC, the higher the penalty. Drinking and driving can be more than a penalty to your wallet.

“Making sure that you have a designated driver. We don’t want to see anybody out there getting hurt or getting involved in with some terrible accident from drinking and driving,” added Ysteboe.

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For Minnesota, punishment for one’s first DWI can vary. The Department of Public Safety says a typical penalty for a first-time offender is potential jail time and the loss of a license for a minimum of up to 30 days to a year. When factoring costs and legal fees, you could be looking at a price tag as high as $20,000.



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